


Morale

by MiniNephthys



Category: Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 03:26:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10608321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: Fenrich tries to avoid Artina.  This doesn't last long.





	

The importance of morale has been studied closely over thousands and thousands of years. Too often a demon general has underestimated the effect an unmotivated army would have on their campaign, or a previously successful advance was halted by a change in the leader’s mood-

What Fenrich means to say is that he understands well that if his lord is to conquer the known Netherworlds, then his lord must be happy.

Not that he doesn’t want Valvatorez to be happy for his own sake, of course, but certain methods of bringing him that happiness… chafe. He understands that Artina had no intention of weakening Valvatorez with that stupid promise, but that doesn’t change that he blames her for Valvatorez’s decline in power. It’s much easier than blaming Valvatorez for his own downfall.

But if having Artina around makes Lord Valvatorez happy - no, if Artina is required for his happiness - then there’s nothing for Fenrich to do but remind himself that this is for the sake of his goal, and as the Prinnies say, ‘suck it up, dood’.

He has no desire to so much as see that angel’s face, and so whenever Artina is around, particularly when she’s around his lord, Fenrich makes himself scarce. There is always some sort of work to be done, and Fenrich would much rather review training regimens for the Prinnies or draw up plans for what order they should enter the available Item Worlds in than spend even a second around Artina. That this decreases the amount of time he spends with Valvatorez is unpleasant, but he can bear it.

It’s perhaps the tenth time that Fenrich’s asked for permission to be dismissed within a few minutes of Artina entering the room. Instead of granting that request, Valvatorez says, “I hardly see you these days, Fenrich.”

“Forgive me, my lord,” Fenrich replies with a bowed head. “There is a tremendous amount of work to be done, and I would not want to trouble you with it.” Both of these are true statements.

“There is always work to be done. That’s why we have subordinates,” Valvatorez says, sounding a bit surprised that Fenrich even needs the reminder of something so obvious. “Is it more enjoyable to fill out forms than spend time with me?”

“Of course not!” Fenrich can’t even imagine it. “If it were a matter of leaving you alone, of course I would remain by your side at all times, but…”

He had not so much as glanced to Artina, sitting in one of their comfortable chairs, but Valvatorez looks to her without any prompting, and then turns back to Fenrich with the confidence of having the correct answer: “You don’t want to be around Artina.”

Misleading his lord is something Fenrich can and will do, but outright lying to him is not. “...I would rather not, my lord.”

Artina chooses this time to speak up. “If it’s a problem for you and Mister Werewolf, I can come by less often-”

“That won’t be necessary,” Valvatorez says, before Fenrich can speak his opinion on the matter. “Fenrich… How long did I say you would be by my side?”

The answer comes instantly: “As long as the moon shines.”

“Is the moon still shining?” Valvatorez asks.

He checked last night, as he does every night. “It is.”

“Then do you really think I would be happy with you hiding yourself away from me?” Valvatorez sighs, rubbing his forehead as if to ward off an oncoming headache. “Of course Artina is important to me, and I want to see her as often as is reasonable. But I also want to see you, as I have since that day and will for the rest of our lives. If you don’t like her, that can’t be helped, but you’re going to have to at least tolerate her presence, for my sake.”

“...As you wish, my lord,” Fenrich says. If it’s a command from Lord Val, he supposes that he’ll just have to develop thicker skin when it comes to irritating angels. Maybe someday, he won’t even dislike her any more than he dislikes everyone else.

Artina giggles. “Getting you to put up with me is just one of your lord’s formidable powers?”

“You aren’t allowed to say that! Only I’m allowed to say that.”

And someday a Prinny will become an Overlord.


End file.
